If you had to subsist on ten foods for the rest of your life, which ten would you choose? That was essentially the question posed to me by a reader email. In it, Jamie made an elaborate setup: having been chosen to man a mission to Mars in the near future, I have to program my Food Machine for the trip. The Food Machine is a wondrous piece of technology that can create any Earth-based food from scratch, but the catch is that it can only store ten “recipes” and the programming has to take place before we leave. Once I’m up in the shuttle, I can’t change my mind. I’ll have to live with these foods for ten years (and maybe longer – who knows how things will go down). More than simply survive, I’ll have to thrive on these foods. I’ll have to get all the essential vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, so I had better get it right.

It was hard to choose. Obviously, it’s just a thought experiment, but I really tried to balance flavor/pleasure and nutritional completeness. Sticking to Primal foods, this usually takes care of itself, but, well, it’s ten years.

1. Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon with Extra Thick Skin

To me, skin-on sockeye salmon gives you two foods in one. The flesh is great stuff, no doubt – flaky, delicate, delicious – but the skin is perfection. Crispy sockeye skin is like bacon of the sea, and yet people avoid it. I don’t understand why. I go crazy for the stuff. In fact, I’m never one to eat off of others’ plates, except when skin-on salmon is served. People eat around it, they scrape the meat off, they push it aside so it hangs off the plate, forgotten. But not by me. I will eat your salmon skin if you don’t appreciate it. So, yeah. Endless amounts of salmon skin bacon? Sure, I’ll brave the red planet for that.

Salmon takes care of selenium and omega-3s, and it gets me part of the way there for vitamin D. The skin is particularly fatty and nutrient-rich.

2. Bone-In Grass-Fed Cowboy Ribeye

Nothing can replace the basic human urge to eat the occasional massive slab of animal except actually eating a big massive slab of animal, and the bone handle that comes attached to the cowboy ribeye is perfect for low-gravity situations.

It’s a great source of quality animal fat (including a modest amount of omega-3s), protein, B-vitamins, and – because the “grass” the cow “fed” on “grew” in nutrient-dense soil – minerals.

4. Broccoli

I need my cruciferous fix, and broccoli is that fix. The absorbent tops do a decent job of soaking up meat juice, sauce, and butter.

5. Blackberries

A good blackberry is good. I mean, who doesn’t like biting into a plump one and feeling all those tiny bulbs explode, releasing their juices into your mouth. Because they’re so physically imposing compared to the other berries, I can eat blackberries one at a time and be totally satisfied, whereas with really good blueberries or raspberries I find myself shoveling them in.

6. Pasture-Raised Eggs

It came down between grass-fed lamb liver (see Honorable Mentions below) and eggs, and eggs won out. Poached, fried, baked, scrambled, hard-boiled, and even raw at times, I love eggs just about any way they’re served. And hey, they pack a healthy dose of selenium, iodine, phosphorus, molybdenum, choline, lutein, vitamins A, B2, B5, B12, E, D and K. Add to this 5.5 grams of protein per egg and essential fatty acids, and you’ve got yourself a delicious and decadent powerhouse food.

7. Spinach

Spinach offers calcium and magnesium in spades, pairs well with meat of any kind, can be sauteed, steamed, thrown into soups, or eaten raw, and provides roughage when I’m into that sort of thing.

While there’s some concern over excessive consumption of oxalates in spinach leading to kidney stones, I won’t be eating it exclusively nor in massive quantities. I can’t say the same for the vegetarian dude who gets stuck with me as a crew member.

8. Okinawan Sweet Potatoes

I’ve really grown enamored of these purple beauties. Best of all, using the Food Machine means I won’t have to settle for those light lavender-ish “purple” yams I sometimes get at the Asian markets. Instead, I can make sure I get the deepest, purplest potatoes around.

Okinawan sweet potatoes take care of any blue-related antioxidant compounds I might be missing by skipping on blueberries.

9. Grass-Fed Greek Yogurt

I need something fermented, and I think I’d get sick of kimchi or sauerkraut after awhile, so Greek yogurt it is. But not just any regular old Greek yogurt, though Fage is a great brand. I’d program the Greek yogurt from Papa Cristos in Los Angeles, a Greek restaurant/grocer that makes their own Greek yogurt on the premises. Ironically, it’s a Bulgarian dude that actually makes the stuff, but in the Greek fashion. This is thick, rich yogurt with more tang (and therefore probiotics) than Fage.

Good Greek yogurt (not the 0% fat nonsense) is rich in healthy dairy fat. And, since this is my fantasy, this particular Greek yogurt would be made from A2 casein milk cattle raised by the Masai on fertile grassland, so I bet you’d get some vitamin K2 in there somehow.

10. Macadamia Nuts

I just ran the previous nine items through Cronometer, and I hit the RDAs with ease, so this one is pure pleasure. Macadamia nuts are perfectly nutritious – good source of monounsaturated fats, ultra low in polyunsaturated fats – but, as far as nutritional requirements go, they weren’t required. Besides, I can’t truly enjoy my Greek yogurt without macadamias and blackberries mixed in (seriously, try it; it’s insanely good).

Honorable Mentions

Grass-Fed Lamb Liver – While beef liver is often described as nature’s multivitamin, lamb liver is pretty similar nutritionally but with a milder flavor. I honestly enjoy beef liver. I just think I could eat lamb liver on a regular basis, and never feel like it was a chore. Lamb liver takes care of tons of micronutrients: folate, selenium, choline, vitamin A, copper, all B-vitamins. Really it was a toss up between liver and eggs for me, and eggs won out.

Cheese – I thought about swapping out the broccoli for really great cheese but couldn’t pull the trigger. But dang, would I miss it…

Bacon – The presence of sockeye salmon skin made this an easier choice that it would have been otherwise. Sorry, bacon.

Bone Broth – While many have tried looking into the specific nutrient composition of bone broth, there has never really been a definitive answer given. Regardless, the stuff is tasty, makes a nice warm drink for those cold Mars winters, and definitely contains something worthwhile. I’m not talking your standard variety six-hour bone broth, mind you. I’m talking three-day epic bone-disintegrating broth with Sally Fallon herself manning the stock pot while being presided over by the spirit of Weston A. Price. Broth that solidifies at room temperature. Broth that doubles as shoe-gel inserts. Broth that, though nutritious and satisfying, still didn’t break into the top ten.

Other Berries – I love all berries, usually equally, but blackberries got my vote today because I’ve been wolfing them down and they’ve been particularly good this season. Ask me in a couple weeks and I might say raspberries.

Cabernet Sauvignon – I wasn’t sure if I had to include this in the foods or if I could sneak it in with the water. If not, I might end up swapping out the nuts for the wine. Eh, since this is a thought experiment, I’ll just go ahead and think that the latter is true.

So, that’s me, but what about you? Which ten foods would you program into the Food Machine to be eaten exclusively for the rest of your life? How would you ensure that you both survive and thrive on a diet of only ten foods? Let us know in the comment section!

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Imagine you’re George Clooney. Take a moment to admire your grooming and wit. Okay, now imagine someone walks up to you and asks, “What’s your name?” You say, “I’m George Clooney.” Or maybe you say, “I’m the Clooninator!” You don’t say “I’m George of George Clooney Sells Movies Blog” and you certainly don’t say, “I’m Clooney Weight Loss Plan”. So while spam is technically meat, it ain’t anywhere near Primal. Please nickname yourself something your friends would call you.

I’ve got one no one has mentioned: A large supply of Himalayan Crystal Salt. So good and so good for you!

Awesome post – it’s very hard to keep it to 10 though! All organic/best quality and in no particular order…

– Eggs
– Almonds (from which I can make almond meal, butter, or just have a crunchy snack).
– Raspberries
– Creme Fraiche (potential to make butter and cheese from this. It contains probiotics, and I can use it to make other meals i.e. pancakes, smoothies, or berries and cream.)
– Wild Alaskan Salmon
– Dark Chocolate (minimum 85%)
– Venison (I love the flavour of this red meat more so than beef or lamb)
– Chicken
– Avocado
– Lettuce

I often roast lamb in the oven (covered in tin foil), and it always comes out in a pool of liquid (mostly water and fat I presume), it rarely looks appetizing and I kept thinking it might have a bunch of oxidized PUFAs in it, so I always drain it down the sink. But now I can see it making a tasty dip perhaps (I remember family members dipping bread in it during family lunches/dinners when I was young)

I always save mine and stick it in the fridge. Gives me decent-sized layers of high quality meat broth and fat, which I scrape off and use for rubbing on the next piece of meat I intend to cook.
I think it’s safe to use the fat again if you slow-cook your meat at low temps. I’m hesitant to do it at high temps, but I’d still save the broth!

I’d be pretty happy with your list, but I might make a tweek or trade or two.

Salmon is a good choice for taste, but if I could only have one, I might substitute sardines for nutrition. If I can have any steak I want, I think it would take grass fed WAGYU ribeye because of greatest fat marbling. Grass fed ghee would eliminate some milk solids. Acai is lower in carbs and high in omega3, so I might want that for my purple berry. Again, for lower carbs, I’d go with pumpkin instead of sweet potato. My biggest struggles would be choosing either coconut kefir or aged grass fed cheese over greek yogurt, and perhaps avocados or olives over macnuts. There doesn’t look like anything I could trade Dagoba 100% cacao chocolate for on the list of ten.

WOW>>>>
I have loved reading everyones tops!! YUMMY!
I think mine would be very similar except if you live or vist Phoenix you gotta try Crows Dairy goat cheese! amazing family! amazing cheese! they hand poor the milk and it has no “bucky” flavor! it is heaven!

9.Kefir (or some other lacto-fermented food or beverage–sauerkraut, kombucha etc)

10. dark chocolate if I get one more luxury item–otherwise I’d say spinach.

Funny–all these things are primarily what I eat anyway. And people wonder what’s left to eat when they cut out sugar and grains :0 All the foods everyone has listed sound absolutely decadent and delish to me:)

Well, since I try to grow almost all of my own vegetables, fruits and eggs, I am partial to them.

But, there is NO QUESTION in my mind what number one is: Home grown heirloom tomatoes from my farm. And please fellow groks, do not refrigerate tomatoes, it saps 99% of the texture, taste and sensory experience of a true tomato.

My favorite post so far. I’ve been following this site for about a month now… Mark, did you actually write this post or did your editor? Either way, it’s some damn good descriptions of food. Good writing… and I’m a writer

I’m worried about the radiation entering our food supply.This diet is rich in foods likely to be the most highly contaminated.Gulf stream goes from japan straight to Alaska so the Alaskan seafood will all be contaminated.Grass fed,contaminated,bone broth,strontium 90 green leafy vegetables,the worst.
Heartbreaking.

I’m a wild salmon addict. But I’ve never once eaten the skin – you’ve convinced me. Naive skin-to-skin question though, do you remove the scales? Seems like the skin would be no problem, wish I’d tried this sooner… but not sure on the scales? I buy the run of the mill wild sockeye filets with skin on one side. One more – I always cook it skin-side down so the Omega-3’s saturate the filet… any suggestions on how to grill this way to keep the skin intact? Thanks

Great post Mark – I am very pleased with the response by you and everybody else to my original question. I’m absolutely thrilled that you took the time out of your busy schedule to answer the query.
Thanks
Jamie

Eman, when you make your yogurt, what do you use for culture? Using a powdered culture could cause graininess. Also, I use milk and cream to do the yogurt, never tried with just cream, I wonder if that could cause a different texture?

Recipe for yogurt:

Heat 1 quart of raw milk w/cream to 180 degrees. Cool to 125 degrees. Stir in culture. Place in yogurt maker per makers instructions. I don’t add anything else to mine. Strain through sack cloth for as long as it takes to get your desired text, Usually over night.

Sweet Cream Butter:

Allow heavy cream to come to room temp. between 60 and 65 degrees. Place in a food processor, mixer or blender and spin until it separates into butter. Strain off buttermilk through sack or cheese cloth. Wash butter in cold water until water runs clear. Salt if desired. Portion and wrap in wax paper. Can be frozen.

You must add beets and home made sauerkraut. Something (my body) has drawn me to automatically consuming quantities of these all my life. I’m 43 now, healthy, and seek out these two gems whenever directed. My distant ancestry is Polish, so I suspect there is some evolutionary connection in there somewhere driving my glands to salivate at the mere sight of a beet root or picked cabbage. This year I’ve constructed a garden bed and am now attempting to grow the bloody bulbous things so I can get my fix. Really enjoyed your article via lewrockwell, thank you.

What about the rest of the world? Grok is from Africa and we have no salmon in Africa or blackberries so they certainly did not form part of early human diet in Africa. There is a lot of evidence though that Grok spent a lot of time on the coast eating shellfish and nutrient and fat rich animals like tortoises.

My categories may be too broad, but I couldn’t decide on just one type of berries or fish.
Grass fed lamb (Didn’t realize how good lamb was until I tried this!)
King crab legs
Wild fish
Heavy cream
Asparagus
Tomatoes
Coconut
Eggs
Dark Chocolate
Berries

Everything organic, pastured, biodynamic, etc.
Almonds
Blueberries
Spinach
Goat milk (for drinking, butter, cheese)
Potatoes
Eggs
Turkey
Lamb liver
Bone Broth
Beans
I’ll figure out a way to make wine SOMEHOW. Scrape some lichen off the Mars rocks or something. If desperate, I think I could make vodka out of the potatoes, right?

This was hard, and I think I really need 12 items. Everyone had really good ideas, some of which I copied, but some are very different. Here goes!
1. organic free range extra large eggs
2. spinach–cooked or for salad
3. double cream–someone’s suggestion, but I need the directions to make the yogurt, ice cream, and cheese (can’t go too long without cheese)
4. wild caught Alaskan salmon
5. Dr. Konstantin Frank New York State wine-R-Katsitelli (it’s outstanding)
6. blueberries–large fat ones, best for heart health
7. haricots vert–best tasting green beans
8. tea
9. Lindt chocolate–any kind or all if possible
10. heirloom tomatoes
And I really also need:
11. EVOO
12. lemons

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